Herman Mashaba, businessman, former mayor of Johannesburg and head of the People’s Dialogue, has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures taken to combat it are pushing South Africa towards a humanitarian crisis.
In a statement, Mashaba pointed to the looting of grocery stores as symptomatic of the desperation to which millions of people were being pushed after having lost their ability to earn an income.
‘In an effort to prevent deaths related to Covid-19,’ he said, ‘we have placed vulnerable households at risk of starvation and malnutrition. It should be clearly understood that people suffering from malnutrition and starvation will be more vulnerable to the symptoms of Covid-19.’
Mashaba said that he would be in touch with President Cyril Ramaphosa to suggest interventions, including:
- Amending the lockdown conditions to enable more people to earn a living;
- A food security programme to support those not able to make a living; and
- Instructions to the security forces to behave with restraint in enforcing the lockdown regulations.
‘Without these steps being taken with urgency, South Africa is likely to see a combination of lockdown breaches, starvation, and brutality meted out to the most vulnerable in our society.
‘This is a humanitarian crisis we cannot afford,’ he concluded.